


it's a picture of perfection

by subwaytonowhere



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Road Trips, Summer, because there's nothing like thousands of miles to make you realize you love your best friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 00:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17233619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subwaytonowhere/pseuds/subwaytonowhere
Summary: “I want to go out west, Jug,” Archie says. It’s when he says the words out loud that he realizes that he means them.Or: Archie finally gets his road trip with Jughead, and everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.





	it's a picture of perfection

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with more Jarchie. Enjoy a fluffy summer road trip, because I'm cold and miserable and stuck in my hometown for another week. Also 3x08 mildly broke me. 
> 
> Title comes from "Holiday from Real" by Jack's Mannequin

“I want to go out west, Jug,” Archie says. It’s when he says the words out loud that he realizes that he means them.

“Out west?” Jughead asks. The two are sitting outside, Jughead stoking a bonfire.

“Yeah,” Archie says.

“Like California?”

"Yeah. Exactly."

“Why don’t we go, then?” Jughead asks. “It’s not like there’s anything stopping us.”

Archie smiles, because he knows that Jughead is right. There isn’t really anything stopping them.

“Can we?” Archie says.

“Of course we can.”

* * *

It turns out that there’s one big thing stopping them. Archie doesn’t want to take the bikes out west, and Archie’s car probably won’t survive the trip. So Archie purchases a green 2002 Subaru Forester. It’s got a lot wrong with it, so Archie spends a good couple of months fixing it up by hand. Every once in a while, Fred will hop in. He’ll give Archie a hand in the garage. While they’re in the garage, Fred will ask about the trip. He’ll suggest inviting Betty and Veronica on the trip. And Archie will just say _no, it’s just me and Jughead_.

Finally, on the last go around in the garage, when Archie almost has the car fixed up, he’ll tell his dad about the Fourth of July. He and Jughead were supposed to take a road trip. Only Archie cancelled on him, and an entire mess began that started with Jason Blossom’s murder and everything else that continues to follow. He owes Jughead this much, a genuine road trip. He misses the days when it was just him and Jughead, and not him and Jughead and Betty and Veronica. He needs this. Jughead needs this. And finally, Fred gets it.

Three days later, Archie wakes up at the crack of dawn. He rolls over in his bed, to where Jughead is lying on the floor. He nudges Jughead awake, which is no easy task.

“Are you ready?” Archie whispers through the dark of the early morning.

“More than anything,” Jughead whispers.

They get up, and they creep through the house, pulling their suitcases together. They sneak down the stairs, ending up in the kitchen. They’re grabbing granola bars and juice so they can get on the road. The only way that Archie got Jughead to agree to it was by promising that they’d stop for a larger meal later. But they had about 50 hours of driving until they reached California.

When they get into the kitchen, they find Fred standing there.

“You didn’t think that I’d let you guys leave without saying goodbye, did you?” Fred says.

The boys smile.

* * *

They’re only about two hours into the drive.

Archie’s taken the first shift. Jughead sits beside him in the passenger seat. He dozed off about half an hour in, and hasn’t woken up since. Jughead is adorable when he’s asleep. Archie can’t stop sneaking peeks at him: his beanie pulled over his head, eyes closed, snoring softly. Archie’s glad he’s doing this.

He sees a sign on the side of the expressway, advertising a diner about 45 miles away. Archie doesn’t want to wake Jughead up, but he knows that Jughead will want to eat.

* * *

Archie pulls into the parking lot of the diner. He parks the car, and turns to wake up Jughead. He turns over to see Jughead already awake.

“I have a fifth sense when it comes to food,” Jughead says. Archie can’t help but laugh.

* * *

They’re almost halfway to Iowa when Archie hears the camera click. Archie had forgotten that Jughead had even brought it.

“Enjoying the view?” Archie asks, a smile spreading across his lips.

He hears another click.

“Yeah, I am,” Jughead says.

* * *

When they stop for gas, Jughead convinces Archie to let him take over. Archie doesn’t want to give up control of the car, but Archie’s clearly exhausted, both from the early start and several hours of driving.

Archie buys a 12 pack of gas station brand soda and a motherlode of snacks for him and Jughead. He cracks open a can of soda the second that Jughead pulls onto the road, but falls asleep not too long after.

* * *

Archie wakes up about an hour later. Jughead’s driving.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Jughead teases.

Archie lightly slaps him. They drive in silence for a few more miles.

“Want to play the alphabet game?” Archie asks.

“Sure. I’ll start,” Jughead says. “Hmmm. A. Ooh, I’ve got it. Archie Andrews.”

Archie lightly slaps Jughead again.

“Come on. You know that’s cheating.”

So they play, for real. It doesn’t stop Archie from saying “Jughead Jones” when it’s his turn for the letter J.

It’s Jughead’s turn to whack Archie.

* * *

They finally make it to Iowa.

It’s a tiny town. First, they go to the only restaurant in the town. Another diner-type get up.

“The more diners we eat at, the more I miss Pop’s” Jughead says, just before taking another bite of his burger. Archie nods, but deep down, they both know that there’s no place they’d rather be than here with each other.

* * *

The motel isn’t anything fancy.

Jughead eases the car into a parking spot in front of Room 3, their room for the night. They get out, grabbing their suitcases, and they go into their room.

There’s only one bed. And Archie doesn’t know why he’s surprised.

It’s not a big deal. They’ve been having sleepovers since they were children.

They’re both tired, so they go to bed almost immediately. There’s another long day of driving ahead.

Sometime, in the middle of the night, Archie wakes up. For a moment, he’s disoriented, until he remembers that he’s in Iowa with Jughead.

Jughead is splayed on his back. Fluorescent yellow light streams in from the window, illuminating him.

Archie reaches his hand out, running his finger down Jughead’s cheek. Jughead’s breathing changes, and for a second, Archie is worried that he’s woken Jughead up. But then Jughead starts snoring again, and Archie breathes a sigh of relief.

* * *

“You haven’t said much today,” Jughead says.

They’re barreling towards Wyoming today.

Archie tries to think of what to say back to Jughead.

_Have you ever wanted to say something to someone but been afraid?_

_Have you ever had a crush on a friend?_

_Do you ever think about kissing me?_

But nothing sounds right.

“Why did you and Betty break up?” Archie finally settles on.

“It just...it was time, I guess,” Jughead says. “We’d just grown apart.”

Archie nods.

“Same with me and Ronnie,” Archie says, even though that wasn’t it at all. It was more like they just had too much history already to move forward.

And there was the fact that Hiram had tried to have him killed.

Jughead nods knowingly.

“Do you like anyone?” Archie asks.

“No,” Jughead says almost immediately. Archie opens his mouth, ready to respond. Jughead just cuts him off again. “We need to stop for gas.”

* * *

“This is really getting annoying,” Jughead says.

“What?” Archie says.

“You’ve barely talked all day.”

“So?”

“So talk to me. What is it?” Jughead asks.

“I don’t think you’d understand,” Archie says.

“Archie, we have been friends since birth, practically. I think I will understand.”

They’re sitting in front of their next motel. Archie stares at the blue and red lights. He idly drums his fingers on the steering wheel. He turns the car off and throws open the door to the car. The whole place feels like a western town. Archie half-expects a cowboy with two guns to come out and shoot him. Hell, he almost wishes one would.

He unlocks the door to the room. One bed, big surprise. Archie tosses his stuff to one side of the bed.

“Come on,” Jughead whines. “Talk to me.”

“It’s a nice night,” Archie says.

He walks out of the motel room, to the patio. The air outside is hot and sticky. He heads down to the vending machine, buys a can of pop. He goes back and sits down in one of the cracked plastic chairs. He pops the tab and takes a long sip from the can.

He hears a camera click. Jughead’s taking pictures again. Archie can’t really blame him. It’s nice in Wyoming. Even with the bright red and blue of the motel lights, you can still see the stars.

He hears another click, and he turns. Somehow, he realizes that Jughead’s just taken a picture of him. When they make eye contact, Jughead comes over and sits in the chair next to him. Archie is silent, not exactly sure what he wants to say.

“In the car you asked me if I liked anyone,” Jughead says.

“Yeah,” Archie says. “But if you don’t want to answer…”

“No, I do. I just...I’m worried about you. You haven’t talked much today.”

“I like someone,” Archie says after a few seconds of silence.

“Oh yeah?” Jughead says.

“But I don’t think they like me back.”

“Have you asked them?”

“I’ve been trying, but I haven’t been able to find the words,” Archie says.

“Just ask them. God,” Jughead says, laughing slightly.

“Well, I’m in Wyoming with them, so if they don’t it’s gonna be a long ass drive back to Riverdale,” Archie says.

Jughead stops laughing. And then there’s more silence. Archie regrets the words. He wants to shove them back in his mouth and swallow them back down, but words don’t work that way.

It happens so fast that it feels like a dream. He feels a hand on his chin, and then his head’s turning, and Jughead’s leaning in, and all Archie can do is close his eyes. Jughead’s lips are on his, and Jughead kisses him, and Archie kisses back.

It seems like minutes before they’re standing up again, moving backwards. Jughead presses the key into Archie’s hand, and Archie wraps his hand around the plastic tag. He stumbles backwards, finally finding the motel room door. Archie breaks apart from Jughead just long enough to unlock the door, and they both step in. Jughead gets the door behind them.

Archie’s pulling his white tank top off, and Jughead sheds the Serpent jacket. They keep kissing until it’s time for him to pull off his shirt, and then Archie flops down on the bed, pulling Jughead on top of him. They’re both hard, and Archie’s heart is thumping like crazy, and he’s kissing Jughead with everything he’s got.

He wonders if anything could get more perfect.

* * *

Archie doesn’t want to leave Wyoming, but it’s time to get moving. Today, they will reach California.

Archie drives. He’s determined to be the one to take them over the state line. He drinks a can of gas station brand soda. He bought a new 12 back before they left Wyoming.

“When did you know?” Jughead asks.

“I guess part of me had known for a while,” Archie says. “But what really did it was two hours into the trip. You were asleep, and you looked so perfect.”

Jughead smiles, and Archie can’t help but smile too.

“What about you, Jug? When did you know?” Archie asks.

“I’ve always known, dumbass,” Jughead says. And they both laugh.

* * *

Archie wakes up just before dawn. Excitedly, he nudges Jughead awake.

“What?” Jughead groans.

“It’s time,” Archie says. “Come on, we’re going to miss it.”

Archie jumps out of bed, getting ready as quickly as he can. Every few minutes, he shouts at Jughead, telling him to get up. Jughead finally gets out of bed, changing quickly.

They pack up the car and check out of the motel. Jughead presses the car keys into Archie’s hands. Archie is way too excited, and Jughead is way too tired. Jughead hops into the front seat, Archie getting behind the wheel.

Archie drives. As they drive, he can see it, the sun barely peeking up over the horizon. Jughead is fighting to stay awake next to him. Thankfully, it’s only a few minutes until they make it to the beach.

When they get to the beach, the deep blue of night is starting to give way to the soft pink glow of morning. It’ll happen fairly quickly now. It’s bright enough to see the water, but it’s not yet bright enough for Archie to fully appreciate the magnitude of the Pacific Ocean.

Jughead and Archie sit there on the beach, watching as the sky gets brighter. Neither of them say anything. Jughead, finally awake enough to appreciate it, pulls out his camera. Archie smiles as he hears the click of Jughead’s camera, capturing the ocean in all of her glory. Finally, Jughead stops, just as the sky erupts in the most gorgeous orange-yellow, and he grabs Archie’s hand.

When the bright colors of sunrise start to give way to the soft blues of a California day, Jughead squeezes Archie’s hand.

“We’re on the west coast,” Jughead says.

“We are,” Archie says, breathless. He wiggles his toes, pressing them into the sand. He is on the west coast, and he is here with his best friend. And they are in love.

“What are we going to tell your dad?”

“Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, I guess,” Archie says. Jughead snickers, and the two fall silent again. Surfers are already charging out into the water, ready to get started on their day of surfing. Finally, Jughead speaks again.

“So, is it everything you dreamed it would be?” Jughead asks. Archie smiles.

“No,” Archie says. “It’s better.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed. I intend to come back with more. But if there's anything specific you want to see, let me know.


End file.
